Curried chickpea soup

Ingredients:

Butternut soup base:

• 1½kg butternut, cubed
• 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil
• Salt and milled pepper
• 1 onions, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• ½ Tbsp (7ml) ground cumin
• ½ Tbsp (7ml) ground cinnamon
• 2½ cups (625ml) vegetable stock
• 1½ cups (375ml) water
• 1-2 Tbsp (15-30ml) lemon juice
• ½ tub (125ml) cream
• ¼ cup (60g) butter (optional)

• Glug olive oil
• 2 cans (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3-4 Tbsp (45-60ml) rogan josh or korma curry paste

For serving:

• Crispy chickpeas
• Dollop of yoghurt
• Handful chopped parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place butternut on 2 or 3 baking trays, take care not to overcrowd the trays.
3. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil and season.
4. Roast for about 30 minutes or until well browned.
5. Heat remaining oil in a large 6-8L pot and sauté onion and celery for 8-10 minutes or until golden.
6. Add spices and cook for a minute.
7. Add butternut and remaining ingredients, excluding cream and butter, and simmer partially covered for 30-45 minutes. Season.
8. Cool slightly and blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
9. Stir through cream and butter (if using).
10. Heat a glug of olive oil in a separate large pot.
11. Fry the chickpeas until crispy, then set a few spoonsful aside for topping.
12. Add rogan josh or korma curry paste to a separate pot and add 10 cups (2.5L) of the butternut soup base and let the remaining soup cool in the fridge before freezing it.
13. Simmer for 5 minutes.
14. Serve topped with crispy chickpeas, yoghurt and parsley.

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